Field-gun carriage.



PATENT-BD AUG. '15, 1905. A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM.

FIELD GUN CARRIAGE. APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 14 1904 w .L y fw T m m m 8 u m m E u 9..

No. 797,502. PATENTED AUG.`15, 1905.

l A. T. DAWSON L G. T. BUGKHAM.

.FIELD GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLIOAVTION FILED MAR. 14. 1904.

w t Eye Tu C75/gai@ W if K5 l '/)p 5 DITE STATES 'ATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUOKHAM, OF WEST- MIN STER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TOI VIOKERS SONS 8c MAXIM, LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

FIELD-GUN CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

I Application iiled March 14, 1904. Serial No. 198,169.

T0 ctZZ 1.071.077?, t party concern.-

Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREvoR DAW- SON, lieutenant of the Royal Navy, director and superintendent of ordnance works, and GEORGE THOMAS BUGKHAM, engineer, subjects of the King of Great Britain, both residing at Vickers Sons & Maxim, Limited, 32 Victoria street, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Field-Gun Oarriages, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to field-gun carriages, and has for its chief object to so construct the same that when traveling the weight on the wheel-axle of the carriage and the wheelaXle of the limber, to which the carriage is connected for traveling, can be equalized, thereby reducing the wear and tear on the wheels. To effect this object, the cradle in which the gun recoils is trunnioned in the top carriage, which is made capable of sliding longitudinally on the trail by suitable mechanism, so that the gun, the cradle, and the top carriage may together be shifted backwardly to a suicient extent to equalize the loads on the carriage and limber-.wheels for traveling as aforesaid. We may also arrange to have the gun (when in the traveling position) secured to the trail by means of a quickly-detachable,securingband embracing the chase of the gun, said band being preferably arranged to be held by the same locking-bolts as are used to secure the top carriage when the gun is in the liring position.

In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which#` Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, of a field-gun carriage constructed in accordance with our invention, the gun and carriage being represented in the tiring position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the said gun and carriage in the traveling position and connected with the limber. Figs. 4: and 5 are cross-sections taken, respectively, on the lines l l and 2 2 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sections taken, respectively, on the lines 3 3 and 4 4 of Fig. 3. A

In Figs. 1 and 3 one of the road-wheels of the carriage and the limber has in each case been removed for salie of clearness.

A is the gun, which is adapted to recoil in the cradle B in the ordinary nanner.

O is the top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned.

D is the trail, the rear end of which is provided with a spade to enter the ground, as usual, when the gun is in firing position, and with an eye adapted to be hooked to the limber E when the gun is in traveling position. The forward end of the trail is supported by the wheel-axle D, on the ends of which are mounted the wheels D2 of the gun-carriage, as heretofore. The said wheel-axle is curved to the arc of a circle Struck from the spade and is provided with teeth gearing with a worm which receives its motion from a hand-wheel D3, as is well understood, to cause the trail, together'with the gun, to slide laterally on the wheel-axle about the spade as a center.

Di is the elevating.hand-wheel, which imparts motion to the rack D"x to elevate the gun in the well-known manner.

The top carriage O comprises two side pieces, each having a trunnion-bearing, and these two side pieces are connected together by a suitable transom or transverse bar c, Figs. 4L and 5. The under part of the top carriage rests on the trail which is formed with guideways d Z for allowing the said carriage to be slid longitudinally thereon, said guideways being preferably arranged to be horizontal when the trail is limbered up, so as to make the labor of moving the gun and top carriage as lightas possible. These guideways are preferably undercut or otherwise suitably made for enabling the guides or clip portions c of the top carriage to engage therewith, and thus also secure the latter to the trail. A rack ZX is fixed to the trail, and a pinion XX (or other suitable gear) is mounted on the top carriage, the latter being actuated by the handle DX, Fig. 2, which is also mounted on the top carriage. This arrangement enables the gun and top carriageto be the more easily moved when the position of the carriage prevents the guideways of the trail from being horizontal. Rollers c2 may be interposed between the top carriage and the trail, so that the top carriage and gun may be the more easily moved when being i them to be removed.

shifted backward or forward. The said top carriage is furnished with eyes or lugs c3 cf at its forward part, and the trail is formed with holes at (Z (Z2, with which the said eyes c3 will coincide when the top carriage is shifted into its extreme forward or rearward position. The said top carriage can then be locked in its shifted position by means of bolts d* or other suitable locking devices engaging with the holes fl' or (Fand the eyes c. To prevent the said bolts from becoming unintentionally detached, they may have fianged heads formed with notches, which must be caused to register with fixed projections d" by angularly displacing said bolts to permit Chains d connect the bolts with the trail, so as to prevent their becoming removed from the trail and lost. The aforesaid clip portions c, the locking-bolts d", and the eyes c are all made of such strength as to insure asatisfactory transmission of the stresses of firing from the top carriage to the trail. The rear ends of the guideways are provided with stop-pieces d? for limiting the extent to which the top carriage can be shifted and also to insure that the eyes thereon will arrive opposite the holes in the trail when said top carriage is fully shifted in the rearward direction.

Vhen it is desired to move the top carriage relatively to the trail, the elevating-rack D" is disconnected from the cradle and detached. Then by actuating the handle D in one direction, Fig. 2, the top carriage can be caused to travel on the trail into its rearward position, (represented in Fig. 3,) which is the position for traveling, and by actuating' said handle in the opposite direction the top carriage can be caused to travel into its forward position, (represented in Fig. 1,) which is the position for firing.

a, Figs. 3 and 7, is the detachable band, which can be arranged around the chase of the gun when it is in traveling position, and thereby assist in securing the gun to the trail. The said band is adapted to be connected with the trail by the locking-bolts di, that are used to secure the top carriage C in place when the gun is in its firing position. In the example illustrated at Fig. 7 the said band is made in two parts, of which the part a. has screwthreaded ends that pass through openings in the other part and receive nuts for causing the band to firmly grip the chase of the gun.

At the same time the said nuts t2 and bolts Z4 provide a ready means for enabling the band to be quickly detached when so desired.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, ism

l. In a field-gun carriage, the combination with the gun, of a cradle in which said gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, means for shifting said top carriage longitudinally on the trail, and means for temporarily retaining it in its shifted positions, for the purpose specified.

2. In a field-gun carriage, thc combination with the gun, of a cradle in which said gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, guides on said top carriage engaging with longitudinal guideways in the trail, means for shifting said top carriage along said guideways, and means for locking said top carriage in its shifted positions for the purpose specified.

3. In a field-gun carriage, the combination with the gun, of a cradle in which said gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, guides on the said top carriage engaging with longitudinal undercut guideways in the trail, means for shifting said top carriage along said guideways, and means for locking said top carriage in its shifted positions for the purpose specified.

Lf. In a field-gun carriage, the combination with the gun, of a cradle in which said gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, guides on the said top carriage engaging with longitudinal undercut guideways in the trail, antifriction-rollers interposed between the top carriage and the trail, means for shifting said top carriage along said guideways and means for lockingl said top carriage in its shifted positions for the purpose specified.

5. In a field-gun carriage, the combination with the gun, of a cradle in which said gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, guides on said top carriage engaging with guideways in the trail, means for shifting said top carriage along said guideways, means for limiting the extent of movement of said top carriage along the guideways, and means for locking said top carriage in its shifted positions for the purpose specified.

6. ln a field-gun carriage, the combination with the gun, of a cradle in which said gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, guides on said top carriage engaging with guideways in the trail, means for shifting the top carriage along the guideways, an eye on said top carriage, and locking-bolts cooperating with said eye when the top carriage reaches either of its eXtreme positions on the trail, for the purpose specified.

7. In a field-gun carriage, the combination with the gun, of a cradle in which said gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, guides on said top carriage engaging with guideways in the trail, toothed gearing actuated by a handle on the top carriage for shifting the latter along said guideways, and means for locking said top carriage in its shifted positions, for the purpose specified.

8. In a field-gun carriage, the combination with the (run, of a cradle in which the gun recoils., a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, means for shifting said top carriage longitudinally on the trail, means for temporarily retaining it in its shifted position, and readily-detachable means for connecting the chase of the gun With the trail for the purpose speciiied.

9. In a field-gun carriage the combination with the gun, of a cradle in Which the gun recoils, a top carriage in which the cradle is trunnioned, means for shifting said top ear- ,riage longitudinally on the trail, an adjustable band embracing the chase of the gun, and means for enabling said band to be detachably connected With the trail by the same lockingbolts as those used for locking the top carriage in its firing position, for the purpose specified.

10. In a field-gun carriage, the combination With the gun, of a cradle in Whieh the gun recoils, a top carriage in Which the cradle is trunnioned, means for shifting said top earriage longitudinally on the trail, a band em- ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMASv BUCKHAM.

Witnesses:

C. A. SEARLE, JOHN J. SHInLDs. 

